Bioactive proteins include EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor), insulin and insulin-like growth factors, insulin-like growth factors' binding proteins, immunoglobulins (e.g. H. pylori antibody) proline-rich polypeptides, lactoferrin, proteases, lactalbumin, interleukin, lysozyme, TGFA (Transforming Growth Factor A) and PDGF (Platelet Derived Growth Factor).
These proteins may have been shown to have a positive effect on one or more of the following health promotion advantages; protein efficiency ratios, weight gain, immune system functionality, proper growth of organs and cells, systemic and local DNA regulation, maintenance of good health, improvement of disease states and the recovery and cure from disease states
Most industrial processes, involve manufacturing conditions that are extremely destructive to potential viability of bioactive compounds like functional proteins. These include high temperatures and pressures, low and high pH, exposure to light, desiccation and other similarly hostile manufacturing conditions. In addition, supply chain constraints impose longer shelf life requirements wherein extended storage under adverse conditions, cause loss of biological activity of these proteins. As a result, inclusion of such compounds in commercially produced feeds and foods (e.g. complete animal rations or baby formulas) is difficult.
This is crucial because mammalian neonates, like human infants, as well as many livestock animal neonates, are frequently deprived of their natural mother's milk immediately or shortly after birth and are nourished primarily with milk substitutes and later, after weaning, with semi-solid and solid mixes and pellets.
This typically means that the desired positive health benefits provided by the original natural mother's milk are largely absent from the natural milk substitute products, as well as from the follow-on, post-weaning mixes and pellets used to feed agriculturally important animal infants.
For example, the immunological components of colostrum and follow-on mature milk include IgG, IgM and IgA. These components confer passive immunity to the neonate and protection against infection during the initial period after parturition. It is has been shown that the presence of insulin (and potentially IGF-1, IGF-2 and EGF) in colostrum and follow-on mature milk leads to a faster and improved development of mammalian neonates' gastrointestinal system fed with such natural mother milk, compared with mammalian neonates fed with artificial substitute foods or feed. Further, it has been demonstrated, that the presence of insulin in colostrum and follow-on mature milk, has a positive effect on reducing of the probability that mammalian infants will develop Diabetes Type 1 (Insulin-dependent Diabetes) later in life. However, insulin and insulin-like proteins are substantially sensitive to manufacturing and environmental storage conditions such as light, radiation, low/high temperatures, low/high pressures, gastrointestinal tract digestive compounds and the presence of chemical compounds.